Norwich City & Coventry City set for Anass Zaroury disappointment as Lens exit agreed | OneFootball

Championship clubs interested in signing the Moroccan international Anass Zaroury are set for disappointment amid reports he's set for Greece.

Norwich City and Coventry City are set for disappointment, with the news that Moroccan international Anass Zaroury is set to spurn a return to the Championship.

A number of Championship clubs had been alerted to the availability of Anass Zaroury, with the French newspaper L'Équipe reporting their interest last week.

Norwich City and Coventry City have both been reported to be interested in the player, who has previously played in the division for Burnley and Hull City.

Both Norwich and Coventry are rebuilding ahead of next week's big kick-off in the Championship, and winger Zaroury had been seen as a viable attacking option for either of them.

It now seems, however, that these clubs are set for disappointment, with Zaroury now set to go elsewhere instead.

Lens agree terms with Panathinaikos to take Zaroury to Greece

Journalist Sacha Tavolieri has reported via X that Lens have agreed terms with the Greek club Panathinaikos, that would see Anass Zaroury move to Greece rather than the Championship.

Tavolieri reports that the two clubs have agreed terms for the sale, and that Panathinaikos now need to agree personal terms with the player ahead of what will be a loan deal with the option for the Greek side to buy.

It had previously been reported by L'Équipe that the appointment of Pierre Sage following the departure of Will Still for Southampton at the end of last season was one of the main motivators behind Zaroury moving on from the club, but the player is now set for a move to the Greek giants rather than returning to the Championship.

Zaroury's previous Championship experience had made him a viable option for Norwich and Coventry

Just three years ago, it looked as though Anass Zaroury could be a real hit in England.

His early performances for Burnley following his signing from the Belgian club Charleroi in 2022 were successful enough for the player to be included in the Morocco squad for that year's World Cup finals in Qatar.

The attacking midfielder played a key role in helping Vincent Kompany's side storm to the Championship title in 22/23 with 101 points, with Zaroury scoring seven times and providing five assists in 34 appearances.

Things haven't quite gone so well for him since, though. He only made six appearances for Burnley following their 2023 promotion into the Premier League, going on loan to Hull City and failing to particularly tear things up there either.

Lens stepped in at the start of the 2024-25 season to take him to France and he made 28 appearances for them in Ligue 1 last season, but Still's departure has been the catalyst for Zaroury to reconsider his options.

Because of his previous Championship experience, there had been solid grounds to believe that the winger could return to England, but this now seems not to be happening.

Both Norwich and Coventry will now have to go back to the drawing board for further attacking options ahead of the start of the new Championship season.